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Graceland 1×04 “Pizza Box” Recap

Another week, another episode of Graceland. Here are my top eight moments:

1. Inquisition Ragu

We learn a little more about Charlie at the start of this week’s episode. While the facts don’t quite line up (according to Mike, the math is off), she paints a beautiful fairy tale of love and the Inquisition. Her (however many “greats” it take to get back that far) grandmother cooked it for three days while her soon to be great (see above note) grandfather waited, hiding in a cellar from inquisitors. Now, she takes the same three days to make it and won’t let Mike do a thing to help.

2. Chu-butt-cabra

Johnny has some secret tattoo desires, particularly a desire to have a certain mythical beast airbrushed on his ass when he goes undercover. After a marijuana bust, Paige does some research and learns the supplier is a farm up north. Jakes know the lady Mexican cartel leader in charge and is helping out on the case. Now Johnny’s being sent in to do field work.

3. Quarterback Syndrome

When Mike and Briggs go to seal the deal with the Nigerians, Briggs is kicked out and Mike is left alone to handle things. After he recovers from a slip up with marine terminology he closes and gets in bed with them. Briggs is unnerved by the turn of events, and it’s up to Charlie, still slaving over the stove, to talk him down. Is he happy with the work getting done, or is his issue not being in the room “leading the charge?” Well, Briggs seems to take the advice to heart, since the next time he sees Mike – who’s been asked to train the Nigerian’s street thugs (who are native Angelinos)- he takes on more of a mentor role.

4. The Tattoos Take Charge

When Johnny and Jakes meet up with their mark (who seems waaaaay too laid back to be any sort of leader – the weed totally make sense though) Johnny plays up his street thug persona a little too much and almost blows the deal. However, since Hippie Mark Lady is so into Jakes and thinks he’s trustworthy, she tells them both to come by her farm the next day.

5. Oolong Tea

Johnny and Jakes head north to (I really should know her name)’s farm, where instead of making a deal, she convinces them to try organic tea and chili. Johnny seems to be getting too wrapped up in her advances to see straight, so Jakes leaves him behind to possibly practice the frowned upon act of bedding a perp.

6. Mike Almost Deep Throats a Gun

Fresh off a call to Bar Girl (“bar” as in both a place of drinkage and the lawyer test), Mike is accosted by Eddie, the Nigerian’s right hand man, who was tortured earlier over trust issues. He doesn’t think Mike’s FBI-approved plan to “train” the Nigerian’s henchman in the ways of gun safety is legit. Eddie is brought in by the FBI so his boss will think he’s been talking, and he gets a ticket to Flagstaff.

7. Johnny is Fucked (in a good and bad way)

In retrospect, Johnny’s plan to bang Hippie Chick and then snap pics of her barn operation in the morning isn’t so smart. His tats rub off on the sheets and she suddenly stop being so mellow, calling on her cronies and pointing multiple guns on him. Jakes and Paige show up, but when Jakes is taken hostage trying to rescue Johnny, Paige saves the day by driving her truck into the barn and taking out a legion of henchman all by her lonesome. Pretty fuckin’ awesome.

8. Sauce Night

Mike and Briggs forego sauce for work. Eddie’s been talking to his former boss, but the Nigerian chooses to believe Mike over his former protege. He give him a choice: shoot Mike and deal with the consequences, or shoot himself. Eddie chooses the latter and end up on the ground with a bullet in his head. Afterward, Mike goes on a date with Bar Girl, but she calls it off after seeing his visible emotional trauma. Instead, he spends a night weeping over the leftover dishes.

Verdict

Well, this sure was a good one. For most of the episode, I was unimpressed by Mike and Briggs’ half of the story, but the end really brought a more deep, emotional angle to the series that we haven’t fully seen yet. The marijuana farm story was purely fluff, but it was entertaining fluff nonetheless. And Paige rocked it.

Rating: A-

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